The Accona desert, the unexpected pleasure in the Crete Senesi

In the Crete Senesi there is a destination for those who want to be pleasantly surprised, for those who love to be amazed by experiences as beautiful as they are unexpected. We are in the municipality of Asciano: after postcard Tuscany, you can come across a place so unique and different that it seems alien. That place is the Accona desert. It is not a true desert, as it does not have the climate of such a biome, but it is so nicknamed for its rough and bare appearance. Here the clayey soil typical of the Crete Senesi has been shaped by the elements thus creating biancane and calanchi. The first are domed reliefs, no more than ten meters high and white in color; this chromatism is due to saline sedimentations, in particular to sodium sulphate. The badlands, on the other hand, are deep cracks in the ground caused by erosion and are characterized by a striking sharp profile. Visiting the Accona desert gives the atypical feeling of being in the middle of the North American badlands, but also encountering meadows, lonely lakes and the famous Site Transitoire. Defining the latter means wanting to blur the boundaries between place and work of art. You can come across this large lithic sculpture by following one of the trekking paths that animate the area: the creation of Jean Paul Philippe will once again give you an ambiguous and unexpected emotion, suspended between modern and archaic.